Holland's Influence on English Language and Literature
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Holland's Influence on English Language and Literature Tiemen de Vries bron Tiemen de Vries, Holland's Influence on English Language and Literature. C. Grentzebach, Chicago 1916 Zie voor verantwoording: http://www.dbnl.org/tekst/vrie035holl01_01/colofon.htm © 2006 dbnl / Tiemen de Vries 2 Tiemen de Vries, Holland's Influence on English Language and Literature 5 Preface IN the following pages an endeavor is made to contribute to the knowledge of English language and literature by telling the part which Holland played in their development during several centuries. This contribution to English language and literature I make with especial delight, since the English language is that of the American people, and consequently the literature, written in that language, is of the greatest educational importance to the United States. In doing this, I have tried to reconcile my allegiance and faithfulness to the ‘stars and stripes’ with my imperishable love for the country of my ancestors. My endeavor has been to portray so much of Dutch national life and activity as has been useful and is still useful for our present American life. The life of every American citizen is rooted in the life of one or the other European nation and there is none living that does not feel some hidden love in the bottom of his heart for that country from which either he himself or his ancestors came. He that would deny it would give a poor compliment to his own character, education and feelings. We are always standing between the future and the past; and the love for our ancestors, for the country of their activities, for the places where they are resting after their labors, is as natural as our love for our children and grandchildren. So the problem of the twofold sympathy must present itself more or less to every American, and the way I have tried to solve it, as I hope to the honor of both my old country and Tiemen de Vries, Holland's Influence on English Language and Literature 6 our new world, may possibly give a hint to those who apparently were not able to find the right equilibrium in their love as divided between the country of their ancestors and that of their offspring in the future. Those who are too much attached to the old country will never become really faithful to the new, and will themselves remain strangers in this country. Those that boast of their indifference about the land of their ancestors are depriving their own character of one of the noblest and most charming qualities: love and honor for their ancestors. The solution is in finding, honoring and remembering the best of what the old country has produced in civilization, in learning, in art and literature, in heroism and martyrdom, and in offering that as a contribution to the national life of the new world, giving honor to the past and blessing to the future. Not in preferring the old world to the new, but in making the best results of European life useful for the American nation, in combining what is beautiful and useful in both of them, lies the solution that alone can satisfy our noblest feelings in this tender question. That is what, as far as Holland's influence on English and American language and literature is concerned, I have tried to do. It is only an endeavor, and as such I hope that it may find appreciation. Finally, I may not omit here the expression of my cordial thanks to Dr. W. Lichtenstein, librarian of Northwestern University, for the kindness and helpfulness with which he and his staff have assisted me in getting the books which I needed, and for the special freedom which he has given me in the use of the library. T. DE VRIES. Evanston, Ill., May, 1916. Tiemen de Vries, Holland's Influence on English Language and Literature 11 Illustrations PAGE Portrait of Franciscus Junius by Anton van Dyck Frontispiece Portrait of Desiderius Erasmus by Albrecht Durer 168 Portrait of Hadrianus Junius 182 Portrait of Jacob Cats by P. Dubordieu 192 Portrait of Jonkheer Jan van der Noot 236 Title page of the ‘Bee-hive’ with portrait of Marnix of St. 250 Aldegonde Portrait of Jan Huyghen van Linschoten 254 Portrait of Jacobus Arminius 264 Portrait of Dirk Volkertz Coornhert by H. Golzius 270 Portrait of Joost van den Vondel by Joachim Sandrard 292 Portrait of Hugo Grotius by M. Mierevelt 296 Portrait of Willem Bilderdÿk by Hodges 360 Tiemen de Vries, Holland's Influence on English Language and Literature 13 Introduction AT first sight the subject treated in this little book must look strange to most American readers, who are educated in the innocent belief that dikes and windmills, some pictures of Rembrandt and some poor fisher people of Marken and Volendam are all that is worth knowing about Holland. And if, during their college years, they follow the advice of some professor and read some book of Motley, then, of course, they feel themselves thoroughly well-posted on Holland; the only thing to be done then is to make a trip to Europe, taking four days for Holland, one to see the Hague, one for Amsterdam, one for the isle of Marken, and one for Haarlem and Leyden. The purchase of a pair of wooden shoes and some postal cards sets the crown on their investigations, and after their return to America these ‘experts on Holland’ feel inclined to give ‘a lecture with lantern slides,’ or to write a ‘nice book’ on ‘picturesque Holland.’ Such has been for the last half century the method of English landlords and of London parvenus; why should not Americans follow in their footsteps, since Washington Irving taught them never to think of Holland and of the Dutch people but with a smile? Why not? Let me give the answer: Because on the pages of American history are written the names of Motley and Douglas Campbell, of Ruth Putnam and of Griffis; because the wonderful chorus of their different voices has made us listen to another song about Holland, sublime like the ideals which the Tiemen de Vries, Holland's Influence on English Language and Literature 14 Pilgrim fathers brought with them from Leyden, pure and simple like the life of the first settlers on Manhattan, sacred and full of charm like the voice of William Penn's mother when educating her son in the city on the Meuse. The world's history - and Holland played some part in it when its statesmen, as in the case of William the Silent and William the Third, held in their hands the balance of power of Europe, and the fate of Protestantism, and in deadly struggle a faithful nation stood by them to conquer freedom of conscience for all generations to come - the world's history contains a great many jokes, just as a picture of Rembrandt contains a great deal of vain darkness, and just as God's world-plan in Milton's Paradise Lost contains a good many devils, but the world's history is not a joke. Is there anything more sublime, more grand for the contemplation of the human soul, than the proceedings of the world's history; that panorama of the leading nations in which generation after generation roll to their graves, leaving their deeds to the admiration of the grateful, and to the mockery of the ungrateful; that tremendous progress of the human race in grandeur inferior only to the Almighty Hand of the Unseen One, whose providential leadership is worshipped by all Creation, whose praise is sung by every creature? In that greatest of all proceedings, outside of which disappears even the very idea of time, every one of the leading nations has its own period to play its part, and to make its history grand for a while, and nobody can change the fact that the great period of Holland precedes that of England, and nothing is more natural than that the political and commercial history of Holland, its industry, its art and literature, its whole standard, of civilization was destined to be a great Tiemen de Vries, Holland's Influence on English Language and Literature 15 school of learning for its successor on the British Isles. And however scornfully a successor in power and leadership may look down upon the defeated and declining predecessor, there has been exerted an influence far reaching and covering nearly every part of life, in industry, in commerce, in social and domestic life, in literature and in art, and that influence has found its most natural reflection in the literature of the rising nation which is going to succeed its declining rival. To give an outline of this influence of Holland on English literature and language is the endeavor made in the following pages. Only an outline, as there could be made no claim whatever of completeness, since researches on the influence of Holland are, as yet, still in their first period; but an outline that gives at least an idea of the point in view. The endeavor is to contribute to the knowledge and history of English language and literature; an endeavor attractive and interesting because the English language is the language of our American country, and consequently English literature will be of the greatest importance in the education of our own children and grandchildren. This last fact I mention with delight, considering it as one of the greatest blessings which God's Providence has given to the American people, because in literature England unquestionably stands first among; all the nations of the earth.